2024-01-31 09:45:00
The intervention took place in a muddy meadow far from any habitation. “After stopping his activity, a breeder left his last cows abandoned on land belonging to him. The health condition of the cattle is disastrous, they are deficient, scabby and flounder in a field of mud without any possibility of getting dry”indicates the Animals in Danger shelter.
3 cows died before being able to intervene
On site, members of the different associations discovered unworthy living conditions for 7 cows and 2 young bulls. “The entire livestock lived on an unmaintained plot of land, between muddy land and short grass. The cattle had never returned and had to endure the bad weather on a plot without shelter or shade. Some cows have a thin profile, they are not able to feed properly. The group is infested with lice and scabies attacks the skin of the cattle until it bleeds. Without treatment, scratching sores accumulate and infections gain ground. A young bull is in a more worrying state of weakness, he has great difficulty moving and collapsed from exhaustion once loaded into a vehicle. ”
This serious negligence cost the lives of three cows in the month of January alone, before the authorities were able to intervene.
134 animals seized for mistreatment in Eghezée
Two days of intervention
The teams from the different shelters first placed a few bales of hay on the ground to feed the hungry cows. Given the state of the meadow, a temporary enclosure was then set up to channel the cows, unapproachable due to lack of contact with humans. “Until sunset, the teams gathered all the livestock in the temporary enclosure, some of which managed to escape several times. Little by little, the cattle were caught and loaded into the associations’ livestock trailers, vans and trucks. It was necessary to add to the very wild behavior of the animals the nature of the terrain, namely a waterlogged meadow where animals and keepers were knee-deep in water and plowed fields. The rescue operation resumed the next morning, because two particularly terrified cows had to be sedated by a veterinarian for transport to the shelters which took them in. ”
The animals are now safe in the various shelters (Editor’s note: Walloon Minister of the Environment Céline Tellier has two months to confirm this) but getting them back on their feet will be long and tedious, Animaux en Péril announces.
According to veterinarians, the first major operation will be cleaning. The animals will then need to be partially shorn and then treated for local parasites. A gradual refeeding will finally allow them to regain their strength.
The farmer risks criminal prosecution or an administrative fine. A report was drawn up by the UBEAW for violation of the Walloon Animal Welfare Code and it is now up to the Namur public prosecutor’s office to prosecute the person concerned, or not.
Animal abuse on the rise in Wallonia: “Justice is still too lax with animal executioners”
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